We rented it from Redbox and it's the recently released PG version of the Snow White tale.

Overall I liked it for the following reasons:

It's Clean. Not many movies being made any more are free from the smut people call entertainment.

It's Original. While keeping in line with the basic and original plot of Snow White, there were twists and turns that kept it fresh and entertaining.

The Whimsical Lines. I'm a sucker for funny one-liners and is among the fastest ways for a movie to move up ranking for me.

There were, however, a few things that made it hard to focus and take the movie seriously. They were most likely intentional on the directors part as this rendition of Snow White seemed to be intended to be more fun and light-hearted vs. the heavy and serious Snow White and the Huntsman (also a good movie). It just made it hard to focus on the movie....

But whiten her skin and those babys stick out like a fake mustache on an albino! One of the first shots in the movie are a close up on...them...and it's hard to focus on the fact that she's supposed to be the "fairest in all the land." Again, I'm not saying Collins is unattractive but I think they should have "tweezed" the black beasts if they were going to bleach her skin to be "white as snow". I blame makeup for this, not Collins.

2. After the movie winds down at the end and they're about to live happily ever after, they start a music video! Eh?!?! Check it out....

It is so random and unexpected! I ran around the house last night singing "I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe....etc....etc...." and I am SURE I annoyed Amanda with that one. That actually speaks more about me than it does about the movie...

So overall I thought it was a fun movie and it was definitely worth the time to watch. I would recommend watching it and coming up with your own opinion. Grab the family, order some pizza or pop some pop-corn and have a family night with this movie! It's good for some laughs!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

I am not a fan of bugs. I know, I'm a boy and it should be in my DNA that I like bugs...but I don't. So the last few days Amanda and I have noticed the ends of our tomato plants are being eaten...by something. Then we saw them...TOMATO WORMS!!!!

To put the size of the worm in perspective, they're about 5-6 inches long.

SICK SICK SICK!!!!!

So, we found a total of three of them, then again, on 26 tomato plants, there are probably many MANY more than just three. Gross. So, because they eat our tomatoes, and are disgusting, we decided they must die. Amanda, my AWESOME bug-killing wife, took care of it. She piled all three of them up, I stepped back about 15 feet because I'm a little girl, and she stepped on them...and squirted the innards all over me! I literally had green worm goo that flew about 15 feet through the air and landed on my shirt. I yelled...or screamed...what's really the difference, right?

I know, some of you may not believe me, or think that I'm exaggerating, and that's ok, you don't have to believe, I know my truth...

Monday, August 20, 2012

The fruits of their tomato canning labors-and this is only batch one of many!

Tonight Amanda and her mom were canning tomatoes in our kitchen. Her mom has a rather large garden and we have 26 tomato plants; therefore, we are BUSY canning tomatoes! Because they were busy in the kitchen, I decided to cook dinner on the BBQ to try to stay out of their way and thought it'd be a good night to try a pizza on the BBQ. I must say, for a first timer making pizza on the BBQ, they turned out very good!

This one is a Caprese Pizza-I put pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, sliced tomatoes from the garden, fresh mozzarella on top of the tomatoes and sprinkled fresh sliced basil from the garden on it. The taste is amazing and the fresh mozzarella really adds a nice creamy texture on top of the warm tomatoes.

We made the dough from scratch, the tomatoes and basil were from our garden, and the peach we used was given to us by our neighbor from one of his peach trees in his back yard (best peach I've ever had). Needless to say, I'm happy with how the pizzas turned out. I really enjoy playing around with new recipes and summer is the time to do it! We have more food than we know what to do with coming off from the garden so we've got to be pretty creative on how to use it all!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿The other day I was up on the in-law's house fixing their air conditioner...swamp cooler rather. It was about 7:30pm so the sun was getting pretty low in the sky already. I was just getting started when Amanda runs out into the back yard and yells "Steven! The power just went off to the whole house! What did you do!?!?!" I am grateful for her confidence in me that I could make something like that happen with no tools and only looking at the AC unit. Her biggest concern was for me and wanted to make sure I didn't fry myself, which I too am grateful for!

Not Me :(

So after extensive testing and deductive reasoning, it turns out I don't have mind control over electricity, although that would be cool. The power went out in the entire neighborhood. We could see into the neighbor's house and their TV had gone off, fans were slowing down, and no lights on anywhere as far as the eye could see...which was far because it's a two-story house.

Then the really cool part happened: People came outside and started talking to their neighbors! I know this is hard for some to comprehend but it's true! Half the neighborhood was outside, talking, laughing and joking. Kids were riding their bikes in the street, people were walking their dogs. Some kids up the street started a game of basketball in their driveway. It was so cool! It reminded me of The Sandlot.

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So it got me to thinking: What if we were to shut off our own electricity for 3 hours every evening. No cell phones, no TV, no iPads/Pods/Phones, no internet, no computers, nothing electronic. I admit it would be hard at first-I'm constantly checking my phone and texting or e-mailing or surfing the web-but I think it would be so cool! To get to know your neighbors and actually KNOW them would be very cool! To see your kids outside (gasp) riding a bike, or chasing the girls with a worm, playing hide-and-go-seek, sitting on the lawn looking up at the trees, learning to play guitar or piano instead of video games, just enjoying the beauty and simplicity that has been forgotten.

I challenge YOU to look at your life and ask; "Am I addicted to technology? Does it replace more important things in life? Do I spend more time on the computer or watching TV than I do with my kids or spouse? Do I have a better relationship with Facebook, Blogger or Pintrest than I do with my family?" I think we would all be surprised at how much time we really dedicate to technology.

Monday, August 6, 2012

I found this quote and thought it fits the point I was trying to make earlier. Very well said!

Rick Warren

"Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone's lifestyle, you must fear them or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don't have to compromise convictions to be compassionate." -Rick Warren

I've wanted to weigh in on this subject for some time now but as I previously stated, I haven't felt like I should post it on Facebook. Before I get going, I want to emphasize that I believe everybody has the right to believe what they will and practice what they believe. In fact, I encourage it.

OWN your beliefs, OWN your actions, and OWN who you choose to be.

With that said, I would like to talk about the Chick-Fil-A mess this past week.

Here's The Scoop: Chick-Fil-A, founded in 1946 by S. Truett Cathy, was built and based on strong Christian values from the beginning. The current president and Chief Operating Officer Dan Cathy (S. Truett's son) gave an interview to the Baptist Press in July of this year. Click here to see the actual interview. While being interviewed, he stated that he and his father's company is in support of the family unit as defined in biblical terms and that marriage should be between a man and a woman. He also commented that sinful actions are inviting the judgement of God on this country. Some news reports have stated that Chick-Fil-A has donated millions of dollars over the years to organizations fighting for these same beliefs. I assume that is correct but have not been able to independently verify the circumstances of said donations.

Here's The Problem: After the interview with the Baptist Press, media outlets picked up the story and spread the news as quickly as possible. Of course, Gay Activist groups picked up the story and have used it to make a point. Conservative groups have picked up the activity of the Gay Activist groups and have used it to make a point. I know this is going to come as a shock to some of you but, generally speaking, Conservative Groups and Gay Activist Groups don't see eye-to-eye. Shocker, I know.

Things Are Heating Up: After liberal government officials around the country announced their intent to torpedo Chick-Fil-A, I got very interested on the issue. Officials in Chicago are trying to deny Chick-Fil-A building permits based on these comments and actions. Alderman (a fancy word for a council member) Joe Moreno from Chicago's 1st Ward stated the following "Because of this man's ignorance, I will now be denying Chick-fil-A's permit to open a restaurant in the 1st Ward." Boston mayor Thomas Menino sent a letter to Dan Cathy directly stating he strongly encouraged Chick-Fil-A to reconsider locating in Boston. Click here to view a copy of the letter that was sent. And of course, Conservatives had to weigh in as well. Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor, called for a "Chick-Fil-A-Day", encouraging anybody supporting Chick-Fil-A to eat there on Thursday, August 2nd. LGBT Support Organizations encouraged people opposing Chick-Fil-A's comments to attend a "Kiss-In" two days later. They encouraged people opposing the comments made to go to the closest Chick-Fil-A with signs and encouraged same-sex couples to kiss in front of Chick-Fil-A.

My Weigh-In: It is interesting to me that LGBT Support Organizations preach tolerance when they are so very intolerant of opposing opinions. Is it my or Dan Cathy's job to judge people for what they do? Absolutely not! Thankfully I don't have to fill those shoes, nor do I want to! Is it to be expected that comments made by a President or other high-ranking official in a business or organization will be under scrutiny? Absolutely! It's all PR people, Public Relations. Does Dan Cathy have the right to say what he said and believe what he believes? Absolutely! I don't really care if you agree with what he said, what I care about is if you agree he has the right to say what he said without the fear of retaliation. Isn't that what freedom of speech is about? If you agree with him, eat his food. If you don't, don't eat his food. So why is it ok for LGBT activist groups to rally and show their support for their cause but Heterosexual groups are all of a sudden "Hate-Groups" if they were to try to march for their cause. Doesn't each group have the right to their own opinion?

Another issue: The Kiss-In. I'm married to the woman of my dreams and love kissing her. If anybody asked me to go make out in front of a business to make a point, I'd tell them to go pound sand. It just doesn't seem right that somebody should and would encourage something like that.

A Houston Chick-Fil-A on "Chick-Fil-A Day".

Here's one more, and I think the last, point I'd like to make. On Huckabee's "Chick-Fil-A-Day", records were set for highest sales by the company. Law Enforcement was called out to almost every location to help with the overwhelming support and added traffic, but not one case of property damage or violence. People got to eat tasty chicken sandwiches and got to support what they felt to be right.

On the LGBT Support day, buildings got vandalized, workers were harassed, public grounds were trampled and left with mountains of trash after everybody cleared out, and the silver lining, people got to support what they felt to be right. Oh yeah...and Chick-Fil-A still sold tasty chicken sandwiches all day, offering free food and water to those who were there to oppose them. So I ask again, how is vandalizing a business NOT hateful? Click here for a link to a video of a a customer harassing a worker.

It's just interesting to ponder...

I don't want this to turn into a debate on Gay Rights, it's not. It's about people preaching and demanding tolerance when none is given in return. I don't get it, I really just don't get it...﻿

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Hello and thank you for looking at my blog! I'm going to be real honest-I am a blog virgin; therefore, the start of this blog is expected to be rough at best. My purpose in starting a blog is because I have so many thoughts and ideas but I don't feel like I have a good outlet for those thoughts and ideas. I tried Facebook and I feel guilty every time I post something...I feel like I am forcing my life down someone's throat. My wonderful wife started an awesome blog several months ago and has really enjoyed it. To view her blog, click here. (Her's is much nicer than mine.) I thought a blog would be a great way for me to rant and rave and, if somebody doesn't like what I have to say, they aren't forced to see it or un-friend me (gasp) on Facebook. It seems like a happy medium to go with for now.

DISCLAIMER: My thoughts often turn to politics and religion. I respect other people's views and strongly feel they have the right to maintain those views. I expect the same in return. Some of my best friends have completely opposite views than I do and we get along great. Some of the most meaningful and soul-searching conversations I've been involved in have been controversial at best. The key is to realize that people don't need to agree with you on everything to be a friend but they do need to be respectful. So that brings me to my one and only rule:

Do not be a jerk on here, you will be deleted.

Here's a tip for life in case you haven't figured it out yet: Don't be a jerk anywhere or eventually people will delete you from their life, not just their blog. Let's face it, nobody wants to be 80 sitting in a nursing home, sucking back juice-boxes alone.

Amanda and Me

So Here's A Bit About Me:

I am in my late 20's, am married since 2007, and am hoping to adopt a child soon. More to come on the adoption at a later date. I am conservative in my political views. I graduated college with a business degree in 2010. I am currently working in a field that does not use my degree. (Go Figure!) I don't like seafood but can eat shrimp and tuna fish. I can not eat oysters. I would say I try to have a positive attitude most the time but am not perfect by any means. I love being outside: Hiking, Camping, Swimming, Biking, Gardening are all some of my favorite things. I also love to eat! My favorite food is Chinese but if you put a plate of french fries in front of me, I'm going to eat them. I also love cooking and inventing my own recipes. I am a "do it yourself" kind of guy. I wake up early every morning whether I want to or not, and I'm basically useless after 11:00pm assuming I even make it that far. I'm compulsively clean but am learning to relax and let things go...only took me 28 years. I am my worst critic by far but care more about what my wife thinks about me than what I think about myself. Luckily, my wife is the best part of my life and she lets me know on a regular basis that I am hers as well. I am a life-long devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I prefer people to ask me questions about my life or religion than skate around the issue. I love having good conversations on religion and politics. I also prefer people to make educated decisions in every aspect of their life opposed to following blindly and not thinking for themselves.

I'm sure there is much more about me that I could put on here but that's what the rest of the blog is for. I encourage people to participate in my blog. I want to learn from you as well. Thank you for taking the time to look and read a little about me!